Because of the Peach State’s strategic geographic location, Georgia is considered the transportation superhub of the southeast. This location attracts major businesses and makes it the perfect home for companies providing owner operator trucking jobs.

Interstate highways and economic growth in Georgia

Georgia’s interstates play a very role in the U.S. economy and for the trucking industry as well. From the start, I-85 brought an economic growth to regions adjacent the Interstate. From 1985 to 1992 employment and per capita income increased a startling 46.3 percent compared to the nation’s 40 percent median. According to BusinessWeek magazine, corporate executives called it the “preferred mega corridor for business” in the 90s and this continues to be true in the 21st century. In fact, the economic growth was so strong businesses along the Interstate did have one complaint, they couldn’t find enough workers.

How companies relocating to the Peach State have an impact on owner operator jobs

Atlanta and the entire Peach State are of the most business-friendly places in the country largely due to corporate incentives, business exemptions, and state job-tax credits. It’s no wonder why so many Fortune 500 companies have been relocating their headquarters to Atlanta. Companies like UPS, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot and of course Coca-Cola call Atlanta their home state. According to recognized economic analysts, Georgia’s overall economic outlook is a very positive one. Personal income for Georgians will accelerate and for the fifth year in a row, the state’s economy will continue growing at a faster rate than the rest of the nation.

Businesses coming into the area require better infrastructure bringing with them more jobs and an economic expansion. Georgia is a state that is very effective at competing in logistics and distribution. The Peach State recognizes the importance of supporting this cluster by maintaining a robust logistics infrastructure. The trucking industry benefits from this growth resulting in the highest paying owner operator jobs for independent truckers and stakeholders alike. When Status Transportation first opened its doors back in 2009, it quickly recognized the need to set shop in Atlanta in order to gain a competitive edge while hiring owner operators in the trucking business.

Atlanta’s strategic location for owner operator jobs

Products imported through any of the major ports in the Peach State can reach about 80% of Americans overnight using the interstate highway system. Shifts in market rates throughout the year make Atlanta an obligatory visit for owner operators running loads from different parts of the country. Whether is produce season or some other commodity there is always something to haul through Atlanta’s major highways putting owner operator jobs in GA in high demand.

Three of the main US interstate highways converge in Atlanta, Georgia. Only five cities in the US have three separate interstate highways and Atlanta is one of them. I-85 crosses the state from South Carolina on the northeast border to the south-west boundary with Alabama, crossing directly through Atlanta. I-75 merges with I-16 in Macon, Georgia crossing to Atlanta and extending to the northwest border of the state into Chattanooga, TN. I-285 encircles Atlanta while Interstate 20 passes through Atlanta and crosses the state from east to west while I-285 encircles the entire city.

Atlanta continues thriving as a transportation hub making it the perfect spot for independent truckers for finding the best owner operator trucking companies. Owner operator based companies like Status Transportation will continue to grow and expand their operations providing the best quality services required by owner operators across the nation.For more information on our leasing options and owner operator pay programs please visit our site at www.statustransportation.com

At some point in their careers, every owner operator must decide whether to run OTR or stick to regional owner operator trucking jobs. This commercial decision requires weighing up the pros and cons of each option. Many drivers base this decision on their short term preferences and desire for freedom. As an owner operator truck driver you are running a business, so the right question should be, what’s best for your business?

Home time vs. Income

While there’s no cookie cutter approach to the matter, the best option will depend on your individual goals and needs. Regardless of the type of owner operator job, there will be a compromise between home time and income. Not to oversimplify the issue, but the more time you spend home during the month, the less money you can make. And vice-versa the more time you stay out on the road the more money you can make, but the less time you get to spend with your family.

Redefining regional owner operator trucking jobs

If you’ve already decided a regional or local owner operator job is what’s best for you, then the next step is to figure out how to maximize your owner operator pay. To do so it’s important to break the old paradigm mentality of what typical regional owner operator trucking jobs look like.

For a long time running regional meant doing a few short runs and heading back home by the end of the week. Of course, this has a direct impact on your bottom line because of the number of loads you can haul during a week. This constraint has to do with market shifts, time limitations and the region where you live.

Maximizing regional owner operator pay

Owner operator trucking companies around the country have different definitions of what it means to be a regional or local owner operator. Local owner operator jobs in Atlanta might have different requirements than a regional owner operator job in Colorado. While a driver in Colorado may only have to go to the five surrounding states, an owner operator based in Georgia might have to go to the ten closest states. This sets an invisible boundary on how far an owner operator is willing to drive. What if instead of just taking loads around your closest states you took a long-haul and headed back home in time for the weekend? That way you could be driving about 3000 per week instead of the regular 2000 miles or less you do every week. Less time at shippers and receivers and a thousand mile difference per week. Running like this will definitely help to maximize your gross income.

Owner operator jobs in GA example

While the Atlanta area is considered one of the busiest transportation hubs in the United States, other cities and states may have a lower load to truck ratio depending on the time of the year. Owner operator jobs in GA have more load options to choose from throughout the year, but there is also more competition. A healthy balance of long hauls and driving to other states other than just your surrounding states will help to compensate for lower rates or lack of loads during the slow season.

So if you are a regional or local owner operator consider testing this strategy. Talk to your dispatcher about planning a few long hauls and coordinating with him so you can both increase your owner operator pay and be home on time for the weekend.Subscribe to the Status Transportation newsletter today. You will be kept up-to-date about highest paying owner operator jobs in GA and tips on how to maximize your owner operator pay.

An investigative study conducted by the FMCSA to determine the causes of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles identified driver fatigue as an important factor. Driver fatigue does not only affect your driving performance but also puts you and everyone else at risk. In order to prevent driver fatigue, it is important to learn what it is, how to measure it and the impact it has on your productivity as an owner operator trucker.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), around 20 percent of fatal motor vehicles crashes are due to driver fatigue. Fatigue-related accidents are more severe than other accidents because there is little or no braking action to avoid them. So what exactly is driver fatigue and how can we prevent it?

Drive Fatigue Definition and the Owner Operator Trucking world

Owner operator trucking Associations/Organizations have had a hard time coming to an agreement on the definition of driver fatigue. Driver fatigue is a controversial topic because it also has to do with hours of service. Here are a couple definitions some of these organizations have been using.

The Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), adheres to the Norwegian Center for Transport Research driver fatigue definition: “Fatigue is a suboptimal psychophysiological condition caused by exertion. The fatigue condition results in changes in strategies or resource use such that original levels of mental processing or physical activity are maintained or reduced.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration defines driver fatigue as “A time-correlated deterioration in driving performance, physiological state of arousal, and subjective feelings of sleepiness or tiredness.”

Driver Fatigue and Performance

There was a scientific research in which they compared the decrease in performance caused by fatigue to alcohol intoxication. The test consisted of keeping 40 people awake for 28 hours, while the other group was required to consume 15g of alcohol every thirty minutes until their rise in blood concentration reached 0.10%. They came to the conclusion that being awake for 17 hours straight has the same effect on performance as having a blood alcohol level of 0.5%.

There is a direct relationship on your performance as a professional truck driver related to the number of hours you spend awake.

Microsleep

Sleep deprived drivers tend to experience what is commonly known as microsleep. Microsleep happens when drivers reach the first level of sleep for a few seconds even when their eyes are fully open. Just as when a person is asleep, microsleep causes loss of consciousness and awareness of one’s surroundings. Signs of microsleep are frequent blinking, head dropping or body jerking and not being able to recall the last minute. Suffering from fatigue at this level is a bad sign of sleep deprivation.

Watch out for other signs of fatigue like impatience, missing a turn, difficulty concentrating and yawning frequently.

The FMCSA aims at decreasing the number or severity of commercial truck and bus-related crashes. They do that by running driver and commercial vehicle inspections and enforcing stronger sanctions against truckers or owner operator truck drivers who do not comply with rules and regulations. The government may have all kinds of rules and guidelines to help reduce the number of accidents, but in reality it is It is your responsibility as an owner operator to manage driver fatigue. At the end of the day, it is your safety at play.

Owner Operator Driver Fatigue Prevention

Staying compliant with HOS regulations and sleeping when you are supposed to be resting should help you to manage driver fatigue. Many drivers suffer from sleep deprivation because of health related issues. A very large percentage of owner operator truckers suffer from sleep apnea. If you believe this might be your case, talk to your doctor about it, as an owner operator your health has a direct correlation with your performance as a driver. So take care of yourself.

Time management is also a very effective tool in preventing driver fatigue. Plan your routes factoring in sleep time and adjust accordingly. Owner operator jobs require your full concentration. As an owner operator truck driver, your ability to perform will determine your level of success. Be safe while driving and be wary of others sharing the road.

For these and other tips on how to succeed in the owner operator trucking world, please subscribe to the Status Transportation blog.

A very popular blogger couple who happen to be owner operator truck drivers in Atlanta, GA. went on to talk about the inevitable electronic logbook mandate. Their beef was how owner operators truckers are just starting to react to the ruling only a few months before it goes into effect on December 18, 2017.

Needless to say, this has been a very long and controversial topic that owner operator truck drivers are addressing both online and offline. Some truckers are recurring to social media groups on facebook, while others are going to forums to read what others think about it.

Regardless of your position on the ELD mandate, we must acknowledge both sides make very compelling arguments. On one hand, we have the FMCSA stating that this mandate will reduce the number of truck-related accidents due to driver fatigue. Also, at the end of 2015, the FMCSA published a final rule document where they claim this mandate will help to save 26 lives per year. Of course, we all know one life lost is one too many and if the intention is to create a safer work environment for drivers then we need to admit this is a very strong case. On the other hand, opponents of the mandate argue electronic logging devices are expensive and represent a disadvantage for small fleets. Others worry about how this could violate their 4th amendment rights. By this line of reasoning, they refuse to adopt this system.

Although the points of view are obviously more extensive and complicated than previously described, it would take more than one blog post to explain it thoroughly. Time is of the essence and a date has been set, so right now the best course of action is to prepare for it.

Owner operator jobs in Texas and the intrastate mandate

Interestingly enough there is a different date set for the state of Texas, but that doesn’t mean it applies to just anyone. Intrastate truck drivers in Texas will have until December 19, 2019, to start using an electronic logging device.

How does this affect owner operator jobs in Texas? It is important to understand that this only applies to truckers driving within the state of Texas or regional owner operator jobs limited only to that state. As you can see not all owner operator truckers can take advantage of this exemption since to make good money you need to run as an interstate trucker.

Be proactive and be ready

At this point, there is nothing anyone can say or do to postpone or reverse the mandate. In reality, like the blogger I mentioned before said, if that is what truck driver’s wanted they would have been better off commenting on the proposed rules a few years back. In any case, at this moment the best strategy is to be prepared and if you are not using an ELD then look for the best option and start learning ASAP.

Status Transportation safety team

The safety team at Status Transportation is very proactive in helping owner operator truck drivers to stay compliant with DOT rules and regulations. If you would like to switch from using paper logs to an electronic log book get in touch with your dispatcher or the safety team today. They can schedule a short 2-hour meeting at our office in Atlanta, GA or Winter Garden, FL where they can install the device on your truck. Not only that but they will also sit with you and show you how to use it.

Wishful thinking or putting it off is not going to make this mandate go away. So don’t be caught off guard and take immediate action so that when the time comes you can keep running during the holiday season in December.

Part of becoming a successful owner operator is staying safe and compliant with DOT regulations. A fine or violation can have a negative effect on your owner operator job or career, not only affects your record but it also has an impact on your employability. In this article, we will talk about what you can do as an owner operator truck driver to stay safe and avoid any violations.

Truck Maintenance Correlation To A Clean Record

There’s a number of things you can do to keep a clean record. First of all, you have to know the rules so make sure to stay up to date on your truck and trailer maintenance. There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain that says: “It’s not what you don’t know that get’s you in trouble, it’s what you do know and it’s not true” and this applies to those truck maintenance issues you know about and you keep telling yourself it’s all right. I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your rig in top condition. A recent report by the CVSA on the 29th annual international roadcheck says that 45.7 percent of all vehicles placed out of service were due to brake adjustment and brake system violations. Most owner operator trucking companies have safety departments that keep owner operator truck drivers informed of any safety blitz or annual inspections going on, so pay close attention to those communications. The main goal for each one of those inspections programs is to ensure everyone has their t’s crossed and i’s dotted, and they always place special importance on logbooks, hours of service, brakes, and tires.

Everyday Tasks

A safe owner operator job entails a lot more than just keeping an eye on your speed. As an owner operator truck driver, you have a responsibility towards other drivers sharing the road and you can do this by doing your pre or post trip inspections and filling out your log books properly. These are everyday tasks that truckers tend to neglect but those are the same ones that can come back to bite you. You have to be diligent and stay on top of your hours of service, log books, paperwork, and truck maintenance because if you get a fine or violation for some of these things is generally because you underestimated it.

Nowadays the best owner operator trucking companies are being more careful when they lease operator trucking jobs because their overall rating can be affected depending on the owner op they hire. The CSA reports and shares all information about every inspection, they register both the good and bad stuff so you don’t want to have anything negative on your record because it could affect your chances to get a contract as an owner operator.

Now if you do get a fine about something you don’t feel you were guilty of you have several options. You could find somebody local to fight that for you, or your motor carrier can also get involved if they think there is a case because whatever happens to you will also reflect back on them. So if you get a ticket that you did not deserve they are going to want to get involved because at the end your ranking it’s also their ranking.

In conclusion, good owner operators trying to do things right by staying compliant, following the rules and keeping up with truck preventative maintenance will be just fine.

With so many motor carrier options out there advertising local owner operator jobs and catering a wide variety of services, why should you work with Status Transportation? Just searching for owner operator jobs in Florida will get you over 1.5 million results related to this topic. This does not mean there are that many owner operator motor carriers just in Florida but you will definitely get a good number of results to choose from. The question here is how do you know which is the best owner operator companyto work for out there?

Owner Operators Experience with Status Transportation

When asked about their experience with Status, owner ops who have been working with the company for several years always mention they are treated with respect and they do not feel like just another account. Having said that, let’s talk about some of the aspects that make Status Transportation one of the best owner operator companies to work for.

Numerous Status Transportation reviews on different social media channels reviewing Status Trucks serve as proof of the level of satisfaction owner operators have experienced from working with the company. Whenever an operator has a concern he or she can be sure it will be addressed in a timely manner and someone will follow up with any questions they may have.

About Status

Status Transportationis a young but innovative company that is taking the transportation industry to a whole new level. Status first started back in 2009 as a small operation on the East Coast of the United States providing dispatching services. It didn’t take long before truckers noticed a completely different approach to trucking. The first owner ops to come aboard the newly opened company was so different from what any other company had done in the past that drivers started referring drivers looking for owner operator jobs. Eventually, the company grew to a point where it needed to expand and moved to a larger facility in Winter Garden, FL. Today Status Trucks provides dispatching services to a vast number of owners operators and continues to grow exponentially. Our Status Transportation Forest Park GA branch provides truck maintenance, trailer repair, and a vast array of services geared toward truck drivers, and fleets.

Owner Operator Reviews Status Transportation

While other companies looking for owner operators focus solely on increasing their numbers, Status has set out to do something different. Owner ops are not just another account for us, instead, we concentrate on enhancing owner operator opportunities by offering our expertise in the trucking industry and giving them access to the strong relationships we have developed with our customers throughout the years. Status is forming strategic partnerships both with truckers and shippers. Shippers can trust the high-quality services rendered by the company, but at the same time, it’s important for truckers to understand it is in our best interest to negotiate the best paying loads available for them.

Dispatching

At Status, it is not uncommon for truckers to develop a friendship with dispatchers and the rest of the status team. Everyone from the safety department, dispatch, our repair shop at Status Transportation Forest Park GA, and the accounting team are always ready to help. That type of personalized service only comes from understanding the mutual benefit of establishing a strong business relationship.

As an owner operator at Status, you get a dedicated dispatcher that works to get you the best paying loads available in the market. You can talk to your dispatcher or a manager to design a custom strategy to maximize your income. Our non-forced dispatching method gives you the opportunity to review a load before accepting it or reject it in case you do not have the necessary legal hours to complete it. This dispatching method empowers owner ops and at the same time is flexible enough so they can decide when to take time off. As every freedom has its responsibilities the only thing we ask in return is not to cancel a load once it has been accepted or try to change the agreed rate once the load has been accepted.

Status Payment Programs

Status Transportation Payment Programs are very easy to understand, we have two percentage based main options, one is for owner operators who have their own trailer and the other is for those who are interested in renting a trailer. Owner ops can either drive within a region consisting of their home state plus ten more states or go over the road to all 48 states.

Truckers are also very enthusiastic about our weekly settlement payment schedule. We make it very convenient for owner operators to have the necessary cash flow they require through direct deposits on a weekly basis. It is very important to mention that all loads delivered by Wednesday are paid on the same week, you just need to make sure to turn in your paperwork on time by scanning any documents we may need to process your payment. Owners receive a weekly easy-to-read settlement to their email describing payments and deductions, and if they have any questions they can always call our accounting department who will gladly go over the information with you.

Join the Status Team

If you are an experienced owner operator looking for a great place to work you need to check Status Transporation. You will be pleased to know that a professional team will have your back every step of the way from pickup to delivery, paperwork handling and billing. You will be glad to be working with us and will ask yourself why didn’t you do it before.

We invite you to check out our website, our Facebook page and our testimonial section on Youtube. If you are ready to be part of a successful team call our recruiting department today at (407) 574-7990 or you can also apply online at our website, you will be glad you took this first step on a new driving experience.